One return and one all too familiar ending

Well, that was some game, no?

They get done, they get up, they lose in the end.

Never saw that coming, did you?

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THREE POINTERS

Giving him a chance

Yes, I thought Andrea Bargnani was far better coming back after missing 26 games than I had anticipated; sure he was winded quickly and a bit slow but he was engaged, didn’t stop the ball, didn’t take quick, bad shots and was communicative on defence.

Kind of just what they needed and, no, I have no idea if he can keep it up or if that was all adrenaline.

But I will give Dwane credit for getting desireable matchups for him; he kept Bargnani away from an aggressive defender like Kevin Garnett and let the young fell ease his way back into action.

I probably would have given Bargnani even more time in the fourth quarter but you could see up close that he was dead worn out and I don’t know how effective he would have been.

But I don’t think anyone who watched him or the game closely could have any serious complaints on how he played.

I’d keep him coming off the bench for a bit but he plays like that, he’s going to help. And he’s going to stick around for the rest of the season to open up more trade possibilities and discussions in the summer.

(And, no, Bargnani should not have heard a single boo. It was despicable, uncalled for, unfair and those who did it should be ashamed of themselves. And don’t tell me those clowns were booing for past indiscretions because if they had been, they should have been voicing displeasure in November or last year or the year before that).

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Free the kids

Yes, I think Dwane needs to loosen the reins a little bit on Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas but I don’t know that it should have been in the fourth quarter of one possession game like last night.

Look, regardless of what you or I think, Dwane and the players went into that game, like they’ll go into Friday’s game, convinced they are still in the playoff race and the coach is going to do what he thinks gives his team the best chance to win; he owes that to himself and the players.

That said, at 17-32, it’s time to give the kids a bit of an extended run; I know Dwane really dislikes a defensive combination of Valanciunas and Bargnani and wants to stay away from that but if they’re going to laud Amir Johnson as the rock and anchor of the defence, wouldn’t be it just as easy to start Valanciunas next to him now and figure out a rotation that keeps the rookie and Bargnani apart?

Ross?

Well, Ross needs to play a bit more and, yes, he will cost them a handful of possessions every game with defensive lapses but he can give them far more on some nights than Alan Anderson ever will.

Anderson is a useful piece on a 17-32 team but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Ross is the future.

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Same old, same old

Let’s see:

They get the one stop they need in a close game and commit a turnover trying to outlet the ball.

They get it to a two possession game in the dying seconds and need a basket, a stop and a timeout and can’t get the ball inbounds and are forced to call their last timeout to save a five-second violation.

They blow a fourth-quarter lead for the 12th time this season.

If that’s not the season in a nutshell, I don’t know what is.

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More? Quickly because it’s late (sleep needed) and it’s snowy and there’s stuff to do.

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So, she’s been in ER (good show), a lot Homicide Life On The Street (great, great show), some Law and Order SVU (weakest of the three franchises) and was born in Toronto.

She can warble with the best of ‘em and, yeah, I’m quite okay with Gloria Reuben singing O Canada at the all-star game next week.

And while I usually venture somewhere at halftime to schmooze and grab some fresh air, no way I’m missing the part of the show where Alicia Keys performs.

The rest of ‘em? Barely heard of them so there’ll be time to loaf.

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Mail?

Seems to be working; it’s askdoug@thestar.ca if you don’t want to click the link over there.

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So a guy wakes up (late) to see a headline that says: “It might be the biggest storm since 2011” and it gets one wondering:

How is Air Canada going to screw me up with the flight this afternoon?

And since I have a sitdown interview schedule for right after the HOTH land and a plan for St. Elmo’s for a bit and then his cousin Harry and Izzy right after, that’s a question I don’t want to hear the answer to.

But if I can get to the airport by noon is the plan, we’ll be here at noon for an hour to answer some questions. Come on by, we’ll whine about the airline together.

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This might be enough to make even the nicest people on Prince Edward Island – as good and easy going a group of Canadians as I’ve ever met – rise up in protest.

Anne of Green Gables a blond?

Yikes.

Seriously, of all things Canadian, where would you rank Anne? She’d have to be near the top of many lists, right; something distinctly ours that is loved and appreciated all over the world.

This story about them changing her hair colour is a tough one, no?

What’s next?

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Comments

[Arlene]

Raps still need a veteran point guard who takes care of the ball. Lowry spends too much time dribbling the ball before getting into pass mode, and maybe part of that is on his team mates who aren't getting open. Calderon had much better court vision.

[truth be told]

I've been booing Bargnani for the past 3 years. Yesterday would have just been common place for me.

That being said, the fans pay money and are entitled to do as they see fit.

Andrea has mailed it in year after year with no improvement to his game and has never been prepared to give it his all for the team "it's basketball not reboundball", in every aspect and now we are supposed to feel some kind of empathy for him?
LOL

[Rob]

During that 9-3 run we had earlier in season Alan anderson was playing great and a big part of that, both on offense and defence . But in the last several weeks he has been atrocious. I think casey might be confused which of those is the real anderson, and which was the mirage

[Lawrence]

Going for wins has got to be about more than a playoff run...the more wins, the higher the OKC pick...

[Anthony R]

Hi Doug,

I haven't posted a question in a while. Sorry! But I do still read this little section everyday. My question is in regards to your "Free the Kids" section. I do agree that Ross and Valanciunas need their minutes to develop. In your opinion, would that be admitting that this team doesn't have a chance for the 8th seed? That developing our young players would be far better served for this team for the future as opposed to making the playoffs now?

Your thoughts please.
As always, thanks for your time.

[Tom]

truth be told, you've got to be kidding right? You are talking about booing based on performance, Bargs was returning from injury. It showed an absolute lack of class on the fans part to boo someone coming off an injury. If he had been playing poorly or wasn't putting in the effort then so be it go ahead a boo, but last night was bush-league.

[GM]

"If there's one thing that Toronto sports fans love, its hustle, desire, giving 100% all-the-time." Actually, I think it's more like Toronto sports fans love *the appearance of* hustle. You've got to look like you're trying, whether it's effective or not. Just throw your body around and scream on occasion and Toronto sports fans will fall in love with you. They would have hated someone like George Gervin or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar because they never looked like they were trying.

So Gay took 24 shots to score 25 points. I don't want to rag on him, it was just one game, but it's pretty consistent with his season so far in Memphis. Here's what he did in the 4th quarter last night:
11:41 Gay 3pt Shot: Missed
10:51 Gay 3pt Shot: Missed
09:57 Gay Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)
06:19 Gay 3pt Shot: Missed
05:23 Gay Jump Shot: Missed
03:12 Gay Turnover : Offensive Charge (3 TO)
01:32 Gay Jump Shot: Missed Block: Terry (1 BLK)
00:42.8 Gay Driving Jump shot: Missed
00:42.7 Gay Tip Shot: Made (25 PTS)
00:12.9 Gay Driving Jump shot: Missed
00:09.9 Gay Tip Shot: Missed

When Anderson was playing so well a few weeks ago, it was as if his shots were an afterthought. He wasn't looking to score and would shoot when the opportunity presented itself. Lately it looks as if he's starting to think he should create opportunities that don't exist. Superstars can do that, but that's why they're superstars. Most players can't.

#LetRossDunk? How about #LetRossPlay?

[Mike D.]

Doug, from watching JV on the court I get the impression that he hasn't regained all the strength in his injured hand: if you watch him closely he's constantly testing it by, for example, squeezing the ball with that hand during stoppages. Based on that, I assumed his inability to grip the ball properly at present was the reason for limiting his minutes. Any observations on that from Casey or McKechnie?

Blogger's note: None

[Hope Caper]

The clown reference was priceless and oh so accurate. No respect for others or themselves.

Great stuff on the team. Another writer noted that Calderon's turn-over ratio is starting to look mighty attractive. But most knew that I think. The question is will Rudy bring enough to make up the difference?

Anne is hugely popular in Asia. I had a Korean visitor last year in December who insisted on driving to Anne of Green Gables between Christmas and New Years. About 150 miles one way.

Good luck on the road trip.

[Greg]

Doug,
While I would not be one of the ones booing AB last night before he even stepped on the floor, I may have after seeing him somewhat winded after a just a couple of minutes, and thoroughly exhausted and unable to play after just 23 minutes of floor time. Can you explain to me how a guy with an ELBOW/WRIST injury and 2 months off can't maintain (or better yet improve) his cardio conditioning? Let's see... he couldn't shoot for about 4-6 weeks, but did that mean he just sat around eating Primo pasta until he could?
IMHO, there has not been a single time in his 7 years in TO that he has looked to be in prime physical condition. When he played starter's minutes, he took many posessions off at the D end of the floor, not rotating on help, or just watching 4 other guys play D. He displays zero muscle tone, so you know he's not spending his spare time with the weights, and I've never heard him mentioned in the same breath with Demar and some of the others who come back to the practice facility on nights off to put up extra shots, and/or lift.
TO fans respect and appreciate effort, particularly from those who aren't necessarily blessed with the physical stature or God-given talent and skills - they demand it from those who are, so I can see how the frustration of 7 years of watching AB mostly underachieve and not expend the effort of those with lesser attributes would lead to booing.

Blogger's note: If you can't understand the conditioning issue last night there is no way on Earth I could simplify an explanation enough for you to possibly get it.

[Matt G]

While all know, or ought to, exploratory trade talks probably happen daily between execs in some fashion. But if one were to place any stock in Marc Stein's piece, the ESPN trade machine at least accepts a Bargnani/Fields trade for Boozer/Hinrich. Would at least solve the Raptors PG situation. I'd still rather see what Bargnani brings to the table for the rest of the year but Boozer is at least an intriguing possibility.

[doug]

@ Greg it's obvious you have played no b-ball not a second...you could do all the cardio you want until the cows come home...but to run the court and as you say play "just 23 minutes"...are you serious??....it's called game condition and not only that recovery , if Bargs played 30 minutes his legs would be dead Friday and shooters whole shot depends on their legs...I was in fact quite impressed by his conditioning, as on a b-ball court there is no where to hide or take a breather...Barg's had a high energy level...cheers...

[brad]

The fans booing Bargnani were pathetic - I'd call myself a Bargnani fan and always wanting (waiting) for him to play his best. I thought he was great out there, he was battling for position on rebounds, he was getting out to shooters to challenge, he was paying attention to help D - it was the most active he's been this season for sure. What a horrible game to boo him. I'd like to see him traded only so he can go somewhere to start fresh and get a chance to kick start his career again.

Toronto has a lot of fans buy tickets, but it doesn't make it a great fan base.

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

I've got no problem with fans booing Bargnani. In fact if I had been there I might've done it myself.

Here's the thing: millions of people around the world play basketball. Some, with talent hustle and desire, manage to to carry on through club teams and high school. If they are lucky they get to play college or university. The extremely lucky-- the smallest percentile--get to make a living playing the game they love. Then there are the rarest of the rare--the very few--who get to be named the cornerstone of a professional franchise in NBA. People dream their whole lives for a chance like that and 99.99999% of them will never get even a sniff.

Bargnani was handed this team years ago and shrugged off the honour like it was some kind of bother, like a burden that wasn't worth the effort. And for this he was paid.

My opinion? If he wants to be a professional athlete and he accepts the money but doesn't want to bear the weight bestowed him, then he can wander off somewhere else. If it was a pick up game and he was on my team? I'd tell him to take a breather and go play for someone else.

Basketball players know the score. And because of that, they boo. I have to admit I'm kind of interested to see how he might mesh with Gay now that the team has changed. But beyond that, I'd be more than happy to see him on the next flight out of here. He doesn't deserve everything he has been given.

AG, Toronto

[Richard Spackman]

Your "Click here to email a question into Doug's mailbag" spot doesn't work. Thank you.

Blogger's note: Thanks. WIll pass that on. The e-mail is askdoug@thestar.ca